Stingy defense leads ES South to comeback win over PM West

A few small halftime adjustments paid off in a big way for East Stroudsburg South. The Cavaliers registered 10 of their 12 sacks in the second half, got three field goals from Kubilay Kochar and a punt return for a touchdown by Niko Petrone as they rallied for a 22-21 victory over Pocono Mountain West in Mountain Valley Conference football.

SWIFTWATER — A few small halftime adjustments paid off in a big way for East Stroudsburg South.

The Cavaliers registered 10 of their 12 sacks in the second half, got three field goals from Kubilay Kochar and a punt return for a touchdown by Niko Petrone as they rallied for a 22-21 victory over Pocono Mountain West in Mountain Valley Conference football at Pocono Mountain School District Stadium on Friday.

ES South (2-0, 1-0 MVC) struggled to stop the Panthers and their potent passing game in the opening half.

Jeff Krisiak threw for 203 yards and three touchdowns to stake West (1-1, 0-1) to a 21-7 lead, but that all changed after halftime.

"We just made a few small adjustments," ES South coach Ed Christian said. "Mainly, we moved our ends outside and let them speed rush and we got after (Krisiak)."

Did they ever.

Darrion Alkema had three sacks and Stanley Acosta had two as the Cavs battered Krisiak for 24 straight minutes.

Offensively, South leaned on Kochar's right leg to help it chip away at the lead.

The senior soccer player kicked field goals of 30, 29 and 43 yards, the final one giving the Cavs a one-point lead with 7:13 left to play. Kochar gave Eastburg South a victory on opening night with a late field goal against Freedom last week.

"He comes to practice every day after soccer and gets his reps in," Christian said. "Maybe not as many as I'd like, but he's done a good job for us."

So has Petrone.

Christian said he was "devastated" when Petrone had just seven yards on seven carries against Freedom last week, but he was much better against West. Petrone ran for 144 yards including a 55-yard score on his first touch of the game.

"We did a much better job blocking for him (Friday)," Christian said.

The blocking was also perfect on Petrone's punt return early in the fourth quarter.

Petrone caught the ball at midfield, got two nice blocks on the outside and was off to the races.

The Panthers had a shot at him inside the 20, but Petrone broke free and walked into the end zone.

Now, a year after a dismal 3-9 season, the Cavs are unbeaten after two weeks.

"It's great, it really is," Christian said. "I think we've got a good team. We've also got a very competitive, hard-working team. That's what we're going to be known for this year."